Attachment Perspective Research Articles

Covid-19, Fear and the Future: An Attachment Perspective.

This brief paper summarizes and appraises two prominent psychological accounts of the role fear plays in human life: (1) terror management theory and (2) attachment theory, highlighting research demonstrating that attachment security moderates the experience of fear. Moreover, the suggestion is made that fear of loss of loved ones, and fear of loss of love, is the primary source of fear and anxiety in human life. This paper also highlights the importance and value of showing ‘reflective functioning’ regarding our anxieties or ‘mentalizing’ fear so that we are better prepared for inevitable pandemics in the future. Public health infrastructures must be nourished and reinforced, just as heroic economic and technological changes are needed, so that we may more effectively cope with the fears, destruction and death arising on a regular basis on account of the radical adverse events (hotter and bigger wild fires, longer and more damaging storms) brought on by climate changes, directly linked to foolish and greedy human choices and behaviors.

Examining brand loyalty from an attachment theory perspective

PurposeThis study aimed to ascertain the relationship between experiential value, brand attachment and brand loyalty. The authors employed the attachment theory as the theoretical framework and operationalised attachment as a two-dimensional construct: identity-based and bonding-based. The authors argue that experiential value reinforces customer attachment in these two perspectives of attachment and consequently determine brand loyalty.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a survey research design and collected data from 500 customers of mobile telecommunication network companies in Ghana. The authors analysed the data collected using the partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings of the study showed that there is a relationship between experiential value, brand attachment (identity-based and bonding-based) and brand loyalty. This study showed how experiential value reinforces each dimension of the attachment theory, and drives brand loyalty.Originality/valueThis study intensifies the application of attachment theory in the marketing literature. It provides insight into how brand loyalty is developed via attachment.

Brexit: Who is afraid of group attachment? Part I. Europe: What Europe?

This article tries to make sense of Brexit, or otherwise, from a group attachment perspective. It provides a historical analysis of the fluctuating and highly ambivalent relationship of the United Kingdom (UK) with the European Union (EU), so far the most ambitious supranational and transnational group project in the world. But the EU has failed to keep up with some of its founding principles of openness, solidarity and compassion, in the handling of immigration—which has been the most determinant factor in the Brexit vote of June 2016, against a background of financial and migratory crises, as well as unacceptable inequality, nostalgia of sovereign British Empire and rise of English nationalism. The article aims to engage the reader to explore with the author some of the complexity of Brexit thinking and feeling, in the context of a developing EU.

Individual, relational, and developmental-contextual pathways linking marriage to health: Reply to Brazeau, Pfund, and Hill (2020).

Replies to comments made by H. Brazeau, G. N. Pfund, and P. L. Hill (see record 2019-81943-004) on the original article by J. K. Kiecolt-Glaser (see record 2018-62311-007). Brazeau, Pfund, and Hill's (2020) comment on Kiecolt-Glaser's (2018) "Marriage, Divorce, and the Immune System" review article provides a thoughtful application of attachment theory to the relationship-health link. In addition to an attachment perspective, we offer multiple moderating and mediating mechanisms through which marriage contributes to health. A brief overview of relationship stress and coping models, as well as the importance of couples' interdependence, is discussed. We provide specific individual, couple, and developmental-contextual factors through an interdependence lens that help explain the health costs and benefits of relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Patients’ emotional bonding with MHealth apps: An attachment perspective on patients’ use of MHealth applications

While mobile health applications (mHealth apps) have attracted considerable practical and research attention in recent years, very few information systems (IS) studies have ever investigated patients’ use of mHealth apps. We draw insights from attachment theory, which states that when individuals experience fatigue or stress, they tend to develop affectionate bonds with objects that attend to their needs. Our study provides an evolutionary view on how patients’ attaining satisfaction of their basic needs through using mHealth apps leads to their emotional bonding with the mHealth apps and consequently contributes to their overall well-being. We surveyed 113 patients who used an mHealth app for hospitalization and discharge advice and education. We found that (a) patients’ emotional bonding with the apps mediated the impacts of autonomy and relatedness needs satisfaction on their well-being in terms of enhanced IT-enabled self-esteem and reduced post-surgery physical symptoms; and (b) autonomy need satisfaction positively and negatively moderated the impacts of competence and relatedness needs satisfaction, respectively, on patients’ emotional bonding with mHealth apps. Our findings not only contribute to the technology use literature and extend the interpretation of attachment theory in the IS field, but also yield practical insights for managers and developers who work in the mHealth industry.

The impact of cultural factors on attachment dynamics: a view from Irish society

In this article I examine aspects of the relationship between mothers and sons from an attachment perspective in an Irish context. Through the works of Irish writers such as Seamus Heaney, John McGahern, and Colm Tóibín, I focus on particular aspects of this relationship, which fails to support the developmental processes of separation and individuation in the many men who come to me for psychotherapy. I illustrate key points concerning this attachment dynamic through the use of clinical examples of my work with two men from my practice. While acknowledging that many other cultural factors play a significant role in the emotional development of children, integrating the work of our poets, novelists, and scholars with an attachment perspective

The Influence of Adult Attachment on Coping Strategies and Conflict

This study aims to understand the influence of adult attachment for working individuals who are coping with conflict in marital relationships. A three-questionnaire survey of the working individuals comprising 130 people, was carried out to elicit their views. The titles of the questionnaires were; Experienced in Closed Relationship Revised (ECR-R), Coping Resources Inventory (CRI) and Communication Pattern Questionnaires (CPQ). A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to observe for moderation. Adult Attachments Styles have been found to have a wide range of positive effects on coping strategies and to result in an effective marriage. The results of this study are of interest to married couples striving to understand their adult attachment styles in order to cope better in times of conflict. Identification of conflict responses is assumed to provide guidance for marital intervention by counsellors or psychotherapist in attachment perspective.

The Development and Validation of the Leader as Security Provider Scale

In three studies we examined, from an attachment perspective, the utility and the validity of a scale assessing followers’ perceptions of leaders as security providers (LSPS). Based on the literature, we designed a 15-item scale tapping the five functions of a security-enhancing attachment figure (secure base, safe haven, proximity seeking, emotional ties, and separation distress) within organizational contexts. The scale showed acceptable reliability and a one-factor structure in all the studies. In Study 1 (N = 237), the LSPS was positively associated with transformational leadership and inversely associated with passive-avoidant leadership. Moreover, employees’ perceptions of their leader as a security provider made a unique contribution to their satisfaction with the manager and perception of the manager’s efficacy. In Study 2 (N = 263), the LSPS was positively associated with authentic leadership. Employees’ ratings of their leader on the LSPS were positively associated with employees’ organizational identification, work engagement, and work satisfaction. In Study 3 (N = 263), we found that employees’ perceptions of their leader as a security provider had a protective effect on their job burnout. The findings indicate that research on the follower-leader relationship can benefit from the adoption of an attachment perspective.

Book Review: Addictions From an Attachment Perspective: Do Broken Bonds and Early Trauma Lead to Addictive Behavior?

Book Review: Addictions From an Attachment Perspective: Do Broken Bonds and Early Trauma Lead to Addictive Behavior?

What is it to discipline a child: What should it be? A reanalysis of time-out from the perspective of child mental health, attachment, and trauma.

Parental discipline strategies are a necessary and critical aspect of positive child development. Their qualities confer risk versus protection for the development of mental health problems. Time-out from positive reinforcement is now one of the most common and well-researched discipline procedures across the world, with overwhelming evidence to support its efficacy and acceptability. It has also recently attracted considerable criticism from writers evoking child well-being considerations based on attachment theory. The main concern is that the removal of a child to time-out exposes the child to a break in attachment security and, for children with trauma histories, potentially causes harm. Here, we consider what a discipline strategy should be from a mental health perspective and, utilizing the best available models of developmental mental health and psychopathology, derive five axioms for judging and guiding the worth and acceptability of any particular discipline strategy. We then use these axioms to evaluate and specify how time-out can be used in a way that maximizes positive child outcomes, and then review its use with children who have experienced complex trauma. We show that time-out, when conceptualized and enacted consistently with contemporary models of learning, attachment, self-regulation, and family systems theory, is actually a positive perturbation to these systems that can rapidly remediate problems the child is experiencing, and thereby generally enhances child well-being. Clinical, research, and policy implications are briefly discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Paternal and Maternal Attachment: A Multifaceted Perspective on Adolescents’ Friendship

This study examined the underpinnings of adolescents’ friendship from an attachment perspective, specifically focusing on the role of paternal attachment. In light that individual differences could moderate the association between parental attachment and friendship qualities, adolescent sex and age were also considered. Participants aged 13–19 (N = 776) reported the extent to which they felt anxiously and avoidantly attached to their mother and father. They also reported their perceived relationship with a close friend on three major qualities, including positive qualities, negative interactions, and relative power. Path analysis was first conducted to examine the relative roles of parental attachment and individual differences in predicting friendship qualities. Multi-group analysis was then performed to determine whether maternal and paternal attachment differentially predicted friendship qualities among junior and senior high school boys and girls. Results indicated that maternal attachment avoidance and anxiety were related to friendship qualities among boys. Not only was paternal attachment anxiety positively associated with power issues among junior high school boys, but it was also positively associated with negative interactions among boys and senior high school girls. Neither paternal nor maternal attachment were associated with friendship qualities among junior high school girls. Findings suggest that paternal and maternal attachment underlie friendship qualities in different ways and that fathers assume more than a complementary role in adolescence for both boys and girls.

Community attachment among residents living in public and commodity housing in China

Since China’s housing reform, increasing attention has been paid to public housing. While the quantity of public housing units is increasing, residents’ attachment to the community remains underexplored. This study evaluates the social dimension of public housing from the perspective of community attachment in Guangzhou, China. We use a mixed methods approach to examine what factors influence community attachment in both public and commodity housing communities. We first analyse quantitative data (N = 344) collected from four public housing and commodity housing communities in Guangzhou using confirmatory factor analysis, hierarchical regression, and moderation analysis. Results show that housing type has no significant effect on community attachment. Housing type moderates the relationship between community ties, perceived public services, and community attachment, whereas community ties and perceived public services are positively associated with community attachment only for commodity housing residents. Qualitative data from 21 semi-structured interviews are then used to explain the quantitative results. Our findings support the rationality of the public housing strategy in China from the perspective of community attachment. We also argue that community attachment must be analysed in a contextualized approach.

Understanding Ostracism from Attachment Perspective

The perception of being ostracized in a foreign country is a great obstacle that may lead to international students’ strain. The present study aimed to understand ostracism from the perspective of adult attachment. We proposed a moderated mediation model in which attachment anxiety was hypothesized as an antecedent of ostracism and as a moderator of the ostracism – strain links. Participants were 119 international students enrolled at a large public university in U.S. Results largely supported the model, which showed that the attachment anxiety exaggerate the harmful effects of perceived ostracism on depression and physical symptoms. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

Adult attachment, filial piety, and interpersonal functioning of Chinese young adults

ABSTRACT This study examined the unique and interaction effects of adult attachment and filial piety among Chinese young adults on three selected interpersonal functioning variables (i.e. social self-efficacy, constructive conflict resolution, and interpersonal difficulties). Findings from a sample of 231 university students recruited from Beijing, China indicated that both attachment avoidance and anxiety were negatively associated with social self-efficacy and constructive conflict resolution and positively associated with interpersonal problems. Reciprocal filial piety was found to not only contribute to significant increment above and beyond what was explained by adult attachment variables but also be a significant moderator for the attachment avoidance-constructive conflict resolution and attachment avoidance-social self-efficacy links. Implications of the findings are discussed from the attachment perspective and Chinese cultural contexts.

Beyond the prophecy success: how place attachment and future time perspective shape rural university students intentions of returning to small islands

ABSTRACT Rural areas are struggling with youth mobility to urban centers. We address this challenge by testing the interplay between objective factors underlying mobility, namely socio-economic status indicators, and subjective factors, specifically Place Attachment (PA) and Future Time Perspective (FTP), and how they connect with the returning intentions of university students with a rural background after their graduation. We also explore how the connections between these variables vary across gender. Our study involved 337 university students (M = 21.55; SD = 2.48; 63.50% female) enrolled in tertiary education in mainland Portugal. The participants were from The Azores Islands, a remote and mostly rural Portuguese region. Using a Structural Equation Model (SEM) and Multi-Group Analysis (MGA) approach, we found that greater PA significantly improved their prospects of returning, rather than greater expected monthly income 3 years after graduation. However, these trends were only relevant among young women. Our findings indicate the need to strengthen youth civic engagement policies, as well as new youth employment packages that diversify the transition from education to the labor market or better match local resources with more promising and rewarding careers.

Observations on the Centrality of Security in Psychoanalytic Supervision: A View from the Interpersonal Tradition and Attachment Perspective.

Using theoretical concepts from the Interpersonal tradition in psychoanalysis and supported by findings from the attachment literature, the utility of attending to the issue of psychological security in supervision is considered for its potential to enable increased capacities for conducting psychoanalytic treatment.

Exploring short-form video application addiction: Socio-technical and attachment perspectives

Short-form video applications (apps) have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, the excessive use of these apps can be addictive for certain individuals. This paper combined the socio-technical approach and attachment theory to build a holistic framework to study the factors that affected addiction to short-form video apps. In this study, 388 valid questionnaires were collected to test the hypotheses. Results corroborated that social interaction anxiety and social isolation were positively related to interpersonal attachment and that personalization and entertainment were positively related to site attachment. Interpersonal and site attachments had significant positive influences on short-form video app addiction. Moreover, neuroticism positively moderated the influence of social interaction anxiety on interpersonal attachment and positively moderated the influence of personalization on site attachment.

Attachment Styles, Condomless Sex, and Drugs in HIV-Positive Gay and Bisexual Men

This study evaluated whether attachment styles might be related to condomless sex, use of drugs, and adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) in 400 HIV-positive gay and bisexual men (GBM). With the Relationship Questionnaire, 160 men were classified as securely attached and 240 as insecurely attached (88 dismissive, 79 preoccupied, and 73 fearful). Insecurely attached GBM had more condomless sex (p = 0.04), and used more cocaine (p = 0.001), ecstasy (p = 0.03), GHB (p = 0.04), and ketamine (p = 0.04). No differences were observed in adherence to ART. Dismissively attached GBM reported more condomless sex and use of drugs than preoccupied and fearfully attached GBM. The perspective of attachment might enrich the interventions to promote heath care in GBM.

Developmental trauma and unresolved loss in the Adult Attachment Interview

This article describes attachment perspectives on unresolved loss and dissociation beginning with Bowlby’s conceptualisation of grief and bereavement, and subsequent discussion of unresolved/traumatic loss on the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). An AAI selected by the author will be utilised to show how traumatic factors in the speaker’s childhood, including sexual abuse and maternal neglect and rejection, may result in an unresolved, complicated grief process. The author intends to illuminate the implications of early trauma and subsequent loss on one’s sense of self and relational life, and to suggest an integrative treatment model that would address early traumatic experience and subsequent bereavement.

Tracing the ABC’s of brand community

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to add a needed sport foundation for the brand community conversation evolution within the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship (Popp et al., 2016; Richelieu, 2008; Trail et al., 2016) from the spark of Gladden and Funk’s (2001) brand association and loyalty in sport. Design/methodology/approach This paper traces the evolution of brand community research from its beginnings in the general business literature to the current brand community research in sport marketing today. Muniz and O’Guinn (2001) define brand communities as a specialized and non-geographically bound community based around a set of structured social relationships amongst admirers of a brand and are often recognized as the most integral relationship component of consumers to brands (Muge and Ozge, 2013). Findings Media transcends geography and brand communities will continue to transcend geography to the boundaries of mass media. Practical implications With this growing importance on attachment to brand community (ABC) through mass media, or attachment team in the sport context, further exploration on attachment variables is critical for the success of the next evolutionary stage of brand communities. Originality/value An ABC framework in the sport setting is proposed through multidisciplinary variables gathered in a review of brand community literature to address the unique attachment perspectives of sport consumers.